April 12, 2010
I have been reflecting for a while on how things are progressing with this question, and now feel able to articulate something, but want to start by telling the story as I see if from the late 1980s. Some will know that I became a Christian through an early alternative worship come emerging church community [...]
Filed under: Church, Culture, Fresh Expressions, Mission, New Monasticism | Comments (0)
July 4, 2009
It is not often I read a book that gets me excited but this new book by Pete Ward really did in this book Participation & Mediation. In this great book Pete unpacks in well reasoned and analytical form the journey he went on from Youth Worker to Practical Theologian. This is the same journey [...]
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March 17, 2009
On Sunday 15th March 2009, I joined a recorded discussion in Sydney exploring the above title on Australia’s ABC National Radio. In the discussions, the group explored the importance of Emerging and Fresh Expressions of Church engagement with our increasingly post-christian post-secular culture. For a link to the radio show click here
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March 17, 2009
I have now had a bit of time to reflect on my experience of Australia, and of the Church here. I think the greatest challenge is going to be the letting go of an attractional model of church and mission. In the training days I have done here - people are somewhat [...]
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February 25, 2009
Well, its been a while since I have done this, but I am now looking forward to going back to Australia and New Zealand. This will be probably the most complex and challenging speaking tour I have done yet. Most will be exploring the challenge of new ways of being church for various denominations, and [...]
Filed under: Art, Church, Culture, Fresh Expressions, Mission, New Monasticism, Theology, research | Comments (1)
December 29, 2008
I am really pleased that this new book that I helped to organise, has come together. Its content includes chapters by Rowan Williams, Abbot Stuart Burns, Brian McLaren, Karen Ward, Phyllis Tickle, Sue Wallace, Ian Adams and others on the whole area of developing sacramental emerging & fresh expressions of church. You [...]
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October 26, 2008
I have just written a joint article with Ian Adams in a really exciting multi-authored book entitled ‘Ancient Faith Future Mission’ to be published by Canterbury Press after Christmas, which include pieces by Rowan Williams, Steve Croft, Phyllis Tickle, Brian McLaren and Karen Ward to name but a few. In it Ian and I explore [...]
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October 25, 2008
I was reading the dissertation of a friend yesterday, and was struck how much science and religion now meet in the area of the relational. In modernity, everything was solid and seperate, but now in postmodernity and with the outbreak of quantum mechanics, everything has become much more relational. As my friend Steve Dancause said:
I [...]
Filed under: Church, Fresh Expressions, Theology | Comments (0)
September 5, 2008
It is five years now since the Fresh Expressions initaitve brought some good news to those who were involved in or started emerging/fresh expressions of church within the Church of England. Many good things have happened:
1. Church Commissioners found money for start up monies for communities for 3 years distributed to Dioceses.
2. Discernment & training [...]
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August 14, 2008
Thinking about the Emerging Church and governance, I have been reflecting on how many groups have deconstructed things theologically and socio-culturally - but many have not deconstructed governance or power structures. This may be one of the reasons who there is not a 50:50 representation of women in Emerging & Fresh Expressions of Church.
One of [...]
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